Loose-leaf binding devices



Nov. 17, 1970 L. J. MORRIS 3,540,332

LOOSE-LEAF BINDING DEVICES Filed Jan. 30, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l. l5|L Joe. Morris want.

Nov. 17, 1970 L. J. MORRIS 3,540,832

LOOSE-LEAF BINDING DEVICES Filed Jan. 30, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ladle. Ina. Morris,

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LOOSE-LEAF BINDING DEVICES Leslie Joe Morris, 225 Ash Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, England Filed Jan. 30, 1968, Ser. No. 701,660 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 3, 1967, 5,45 8/ 67 Int. Cl. B42f 3/00 US. Cl. 402-4 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Binding loose leaves which includes an extended resilient channel which encloses aligned marginal edges of the leaves and which has one or more openings in its spine, and a number of studs, one for each opening. Each stud has a shank with a spade end at one end and a head at the other. The spade end is shaped to pass through the opening in the spine and, when aligned to extend longitudinally of the channel, to penetrate the stack of leaves, and can then be turned to bring the spade end transverse to the length of the channel to hold the leaves in the channel.

This invention relates to loose-leaf binding devices for binding loose leaves, pamphlets, cloth patterns and other materials in sheet form, hereinafter termed collectively as leaves.

According to this invention there is provided a looseleaf binder comprising an extended channel member adapted resiliently to enclose aligned marginal edges of a stack of leaves which member has in its back or spine at least one opening, and a stud for engaging in the opening, which stud has a shank, a head at one end of the shank and a spade end at the other end of the shank, the spade end being so shaped that when it is passed through said opening and extends longitudinally of the channel member, the spade end penetrates the stack of leaves, and that when the stud is turned to bring the spade end transverse to the length of the channel member, the spade end operates to hold the leaves in the channel member.

In preferred arrangements the channel member and the stud are formed with co-operating portions which are adapted, when the stud is turned so as to hold the leaves in the channel member, to engage and prevent withdraw of the stud. For this purpose, the stud may include a peg or equivalent projection which is spaced from the head of the stud by a distance which is slightly greater than the thickness of the spine of the channel member, the opening in the back or spine of the member being shaped to pass the projection when the spade end lies longitudinally of the channel member but to prevent passage of the projection in the reverse direction when the spade end extends transversely to the length of the channel member. In an alternative arrangement a rib is provided on the interior surface of each side of the channel member and the spade end of the stud has portions which, when the stud is turned to bring the spade end transverse to the channel member, engage the ribs to prevent the stud being withdrawn.

According to another preferred feature of the invention, the stud and the channel member are formed with portions which, when the stud is turned to cause the spade end to extend transversely to the length of the channel member, co-operate to resist reverse turning movement of the stud.

The head of the stud may have a loop or hook portion for enabling the binder to be suspended by the loop or hook portion.

d States ate'nt 3,540,832 Patented Nov. 17, 1970 Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a spade-end stud in the process of insertion into a stack of leaves held in a channel-sectioned clip,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary part-sectional plan showing the stud inserted and turned into the binding position,

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on line IIIIII of FIG. 2,

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a side elevation, an end elevation, and a plan of an alternative form of stud,

FIG. 7 shows the stud of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 engaged in a channel member,

FIGS. 8 and 9 are respectively a side elevation and an end elevation of a further form of stud, and

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are respectively an end elevation, sectional side elevation and plan of a modified form of the stud shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. I

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the stud 1 has a spade end 2 which has a comparatively lengthy width dimension A and a shallow depth dimension B. The spade end 2 tapers in thickness over the whole or part of its depth B to facilitate entry of the spade end between two of the leaves of a stack thereof gripped by a springy channel member 4; this tapering could be extended rearwardly into at least the outer end of the shank 3 of the stud.

The stud 1 has a head 5 of any suitable shape and beneath the head are a pair of coaxial pegs 6 spaced beneath the head at a distance C which is not less than the thickness of the spine 7 of the channel member 4. The pegs lie in the same plane as the spade end 2. The head 5 is conveniently of substantially flat plate form and slightly bowed in elevation, so that after the stud 1 has been turned to the binding position the inherent flexi bility of the head 5 pulls the peg(s) 6 hard against the spine 7. Small dome-like protuberances 5a are formed on the underside of the head 5 which, when the stud has been turned to lock the leaves in the channel, locate in the ends of the opening 9 in the spine of the channel so as to restrain movement of the stud away from this position. In alternative arrangements separate holes or depressions could be provided to receive the protuberances.

On the inner face of said spine 7 are two longitudinal parallel ribs 8 spaced sufiiciently apart to avoid interferring with said pegs 6 when the stud 1 is turned, preferably through after movement into the binding position. The opening 9 in the channel clip spine 7 (one opening for each stud) is shaped to permit of the insertion of the wide spade end 2; since the pegs 6 lie in the plane of the width of the spade end 2. they also pass freely through the opening 9.

The marginal edge of each leaf is slotted so that the aligned slots in the stack of leaves form a space 10 for the reception of the inserted spade end and enabling it to be rotated into the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in which it lies transverse to the channel member 4. To retain the leaves with their slots in alignment, a cover 11 may be wrapped around the stacked leaves; this cover 11 abuts the ribs 8 when the covered stack of leaves is pressed into the clip 4 and its spine portion is apertured to pass the spade end 2 of the stud 1.

To bind a stack of leaves, the leaves, together with their cover 11 where desired, are formed with the slots which provide the spaces 10 and the edge portion of the stack and its cover are then disposed in the channel member 4, the spaces 10 being disposed in alignment with the openings 9. A stud is then pushed through the opening 9 and the corresponding opening in the cover 11 and the tapering spade end 2 of the stud pushes between the two leaves followed by the shank 3. When the spade end reaches the space 10, the stud is pressed in firmly and rotated through 90 to cause the protuberances 5a to engage in the opening 9, so that the stud grips the spine 7 between the head and the pegs 6 as previously described, and so that the spade end 2 extends along the space as shown in FIG. 3., The shank 3 remains between the leaves and serves to press the leaves and cover outwards into tight engagement with the sides of the channel member 4. The leaves and cover are now firmly held in the channel member 4.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show a modified form of stud which differs from the stud of FIGS. 1 to 3 mainly in the shape of the spade end and the omission of the pegs 6. As shown in FIG. 4, the sides 13 of the spade end are tapered so as more or less to match the shape of the channel member with which the stud is used.

FIG. 7 shows the stud of FIGS. 4 to 6 engaged in a channel member 15. It will be seen that the member is formed with ribs 16 on the interior sides and that when the stud is inserted and turned the outer end corners of the spade end 2 are located below the ribs 16 and the stud is thus prevented from being withdrawn,

The stud of FIGS. 8 and 9 is similar to the stud of FIGS. 4 to 6 and is used in the same manner. It is, however, provided with a boss 17 below the head 5 which seats in the opening formed in the spine of the channel member. Such opening differs from the opening 9 shown in FIG. 1 since it is of plain elongated rectangular form and omits the illustrated circular enlargement. From FIGS. 8 and 9 it will be seen that the length of the boss 17 is greater than its width and that the length of the boss 17 is also slightly greater than the width of the opening in the spine 7 so that when the stud is turned, conveniently by means of a tool engaging in a slot 18 in the head 5, to bring the spade end 2 transverse of the channel member, the boss 17 drops into the opening and the stud is then held firmly in position by the interengagement of the spade end 2 with ribs 16 as in FIG. 7.

FIGS, 10 to 12 show a modified form of the stud illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this modification the stud which is moulded from nylon has a head which includes a loop portion 20 enabling the binder to be hung on a hook or similar support, The loop portion is moulded integrally with the stud and projects laterally of the main part of the head, and is hinged with respect to this main part by two neck parts 21 which are of reduced thickness. It will be understood that a hook portion could be provided instead of the closed loop.

I claim:

1. A loose-leaf binder comprising an extended channel member having a base wall and two side walls, which channel member resiliently encloses one edge of a stack of aligned leaves each having an aperture adjacent said edge, said apertures being aligned with each other and being elongated in a direction parallel to said edge and which channel member has in the base wall thereof at least one opening, and a stud engaged in the opening, which stud has a shank disposed in the opening and has a head at once end of the shank, the shank terminating at its other end in a generally flat, spade end which extends laterally on both sides of the shank and the extremity of which remote from the head is formed as a first edge adapted to penetrate between two of the leaves of the stack, said base wall having an outer face against which the head of the stud is disposed, said spade end formed with a second edge opposed to said first edge having a length at least equal to the thickness of said stack of leaves, the spade end extending in a plane traverse to the lengthwise dimension of the channel and in a first position at right angles to the planes of the leaves so as to extend through the apertures in the leaves with said sec- 0nd edge in engagement with adjacent edges of the apertures in the leaves to hold the leaves in said channel member, and the stud being rotatable in the aperture in the channel member to turn the spade end thereof through a right angle into a second position in which said spade end extends in a plane parallel to the planes of the leaves, in which second position the stud can be withdrawn through the opening in the base wall of the channel membet.

2. A binder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channel member and the stud are formed with co-operating portions which engage each other and prevent withdrawal of the stud when in said first position, but which permit the shank and space end to pass through the opening in the base when the stud is in said second position.

3. A binder as claimed in claim 2, wherein the stud has on its shank a lateral projection spaced from the head of the stud by a distance which is slightly greater than the thickness of the base of the channel member, the opening in the base of the channel member being shaped to prevent passage of the projection when in said first position,'but to permit the shank and spade end of the stud to pass therethrough when the stud is turned in said second position.

4. A binder as claimed in claim 2, wherein a rib is provided on the inner surface of each side of the channel member and the spade end of the stud has portions which engage the ribs to prevent the stud from being withdrawn until the stud is turned into said second position.

5. "A binder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stud and the channel member are formed with portions which, when the stud is turned into said second position, cooperate to resist turning movement of the stud into said second position.

6. A binder as claimed in claim 5, wherein the head of the stud has at least one protuberance on its underside, which protuberance engages in a hole or depression in the base of the member, but is disengageable from the hole or depression by turning the stud into said second position.

7. A binder as claimed in claim 6, wherein said hole engaged by said protuberance is constituted by said opening.

8. A binder as claimed in claim 7, wherein said protuberance is constituted by a boss which is coaxial with said shank of said stud and which is elongated in a direction normal to the lengthwise axis of said shank.

9. A binder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said opening is shaped to permit said spade end to pass therethrough only when the general plane of said spade end extends lengthwise of said channel member.

10. A binder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head of said stud has a loop portion for enabling said binder to be suspended by said loop portion.

11. A binder as claimed in claim 10, wherein said loop portion is hinged to the main portion of said head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,105,507 7/1914 Gearhart 281l9 1,639,821 8/ 1927 Vogel 2467.11 2,502,813 4/1950 Andrew 281l9 2,727,550 12/ 1955 Montessi 402-61 X 3,285,252 11/1966 Morris 40261 JEORME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 402-; 281-17 

